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Summary

While the midlife crisis has been thoroughly explored by experts, there is another landmine period in our adult development, called the quarterlife crisis, which can be just as devastating. When young adults emerge at graduation from almost two decades of schooling, during which each step to take is clearly marked, they encounter an overwhelming number of choices regarding their careers, finances, homes, and social networks. Confronted by an often shattering whirlwind of new responsibilities, new liberties, and new options, they feel helpless, panicked, indecisive, and apprehensive.

Quarterlife Crisis is the first book to document this phenomenon and offer insightful advice on smoothly navigating the challenging transition from childhood to adulthood, from school to the world beyond. It includes the personal stories of more than one hundred twentysomethings who describe their struggles to carve out personal identities; to cope with their fears of failure; to face making choices rather than avoiding them; and to balance all the demanding aspects of personal and professional life. From "What do all my doubts mean?" to "How do I know if the decisions I'm making are right?" this book compellingly addresses the hardest questions facing young adults today.

Author Biography

Alexandra Robbins (left), the author of Secrets of the Tomb, is a contributing writer at Cosmopolitan and on the staff of The New Yorker's Washington, D.C., bureau. Abby Wilner (right), is the webmaster of www.quarterlifecrisis.com and works as a public policy analyst specializing in higher education. Both authors live in Washington, D.C.

Table of Contents

introduction: What Is the Quarterlife Crisis?

1

(3)

Why Worry About a Quarterlife Crisis?

4

(3)

How Do You Recognize a Quarterlife Crisis?

7

(4)

What Do You Do About the Quarterlife Crisis?

11

(4)

How Am I Supposed to Figure Out Who I Really Am?

15

(30)

``So, What Do You Do?''

16

(3)

What Now?

19

(3)

Compromising Positions

22

(5)

Finding a Passion

27

(2)

Keeping the Faith

29

(1)

Trial and Error

30

(4)

Changing Their Minds

34

(2)

Job-Hopping

36

(4)

Constant Evolution

40

(5)

What If I'm Scared to Stop Being a Kid?

45

(22)

End of the Innocence

50

(3)

Are We There Yet?

53

(2)

The Parent Trap

55

(6)

Inescapable Influence

61

(3)

The Times They Are A-Changin'

64

(3)

What If I Fail?

67

(20)

Ready, Set, Fail

68

(4)

Going After the Dream

72

(3)

Abort Mission

75

(4)

Plan B

79

(4)

Advice from the Pros

83

(4)

What Do All of These Doubts Mean?

87

(36)

Doubts and Questions

90

(3)

Working Problems

93

(5)

Social Adjustments

98

(2)

Overwhelming Factors

100

(4)

Anchors Aweigh

104

(5)

Dashed Expectations

109

(3)

Paradise Lost

112

(4)

Trying Out Therapy

116

(5)

Brushing It Off

121

(2)

How Do I Know If the Decisions I'm Making Are the Right Ones?

123

(24)

Moving Right Along

126

(5)

How Do I Know If I'm Sure About Somebody?

131

(8)

Gut Instinct

139

(2)

Gray Matter

141

(3)

Going with It

144

(3)

How Do I Work Out the Right Balance Among My Career, Friends, Family, and Romance?